I can understand why Rogan and the UFC would come out like this, defending Chuck while he’s down, but you’re absolutely right that we’re going to have to take some shots like this if we want mainstream acceptance.

(best Heath Ledger impersonation): It’s all part of the plan.

100% agree.

If Jim Rome added a comment about Chuck or the UFC,.. that’s great. If he bad mouths, or takes a shot at Chuck,..well…He’s a talk show host, that’s it. I don’t think chuck cares, or atleast he shouldn’t, if he does. Jim has a good show, and I think, much like his views on NASCAR, he’ll come around. In a way, In a way, I think Mr White is right, The UFC doesn’t need anyone….Soon the numbers will be so strong, that sponcer’s will be waiting outside his door to get in. We’ll just have to put up with some of the “shtick” for a while. No worries.

This is part of sports. And I highly doubt Chuck Liddell needed his dad to come tell the bullies to stop being mean to him.

Of course, Rome really IS an [expletive] head, so there’s also that. But Rogan comes off as just as much of an [expletive] head, and kind of a baby to boot.

I guess Joe takes the stance he does because, unlike those who report on mainstream sports, he’s part of the UFC staff and close to the fighters – the complete opposite of the commentators which you hear on NFL, NBA, MLB games etc.

In order for the sport to reach the stratospheric heights it is aiming for, it needs coverage well beyond the MMA press and blog communities – securing the necessary column inches and broadcast minutes that will get the casual, armchair fan either buying a ticket or ordering a PPV.

For that to happen, they have to take the rough with the smooth. As long as their reporting is either a) based solidly on facts or b) clearly stated as being an opinion piece, then it’s all good.

As for my own thoughts on what Rome said… I think he nailed the broad thrust of it. Liddell’s fighting style and strategy hasn’t really changed much over the years and this left him wide open to being picked apart by Evans. Liddell had a full repertoire of techniques to call on (think his kenpo and wrestling background) but instead chose to use the same tactics that he did against Wanderlei…. and Rampage…. and Jardine etc.

Compare and contrast this with Dan Henderson’s performance against Rousimar Palhares… Hendo came to the fight with a clear strategy designed to counter Palhares’ strengths – a marked difference from his recent showdowns against Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva.

So, should Liddell chose to go up against The Spider, he’s going to have to go back to the drawing board and put together a gameplan that Silva won’t have seen before because, as it stands, he’s been far too reliant on what has worked in the past… and that’s all that Rome was saying.

I hate to disagree with you – because I don’t disagree with your larger point – but I think you’re seeing this from the wrong angle. Rogan, other than his color-commentary duties, is not a promotional arm of the UFC. He’s talking on behalf of himself, not the company.

Joe has gone to great lengths to define the boundaries between himself and the UFC, and has even said that other than the Pride takeover, he’s never been instructed to say or not say anything by the UFC. That being the case, you can’t see this as part of the UFC’s message.

And from that perspective – the perspective of a guy who just watched a friend get the shit beat out of him – he’s justified in saying what he did.

epic.

Chuck got Ko’d by Rampage as soon as the fight started…Rashad Knocked Him the Fuck Out chuck looked dead..im a fan of the Iceman but i saw nothing wrong with this i dont like the match up for chuck i didnt like it before this fight…A Fight with the Spider will lead to another Devastating Loss for the Iceman but a win could give him back some of his Credibility he is still a great fighter future HOF but that Knockout is Burned in all our minds so he is gonna need something big such as a Anderson Silva win to regain what was lost although Silva could fuck it up worse…

I’d rather have this then some other played out argument on how MMA is like “human cockfighting” and such.

I like Joe Rogan, but he is not the representative for mma in the mainstream. As much as I enjoy him blasting some ill informed anti-mma jackass, a better rep would be someone like Johnson from EXC.

Possibly the most interesting thing to me is that in this discussion there’s a lot of talk about Rome being a jerk or Rogan being right or wrong, but not a lot of discussion about the key fact: Most of us agree that Anderson Silva would beat Chuck Liddell. Anyone diagree?

That was awesome.